Disaster Planning
Home or Business Emergency Kit Contents
Healthcare professionals are not the only people who may need access to supplies in an emergency. Every home, business, and vehicle should contain some sort of emergency kit. Basic supplies recommended by FEMA include: a three-day supply of food and water. a battery-powered two-way radio and extra batteries. a flashlight. first-aid supplies. a whistle. a dust mask, plastic tarp, and duct tape. personal sanitation supplies. a wrench and pliers. a can opener. maps. a cell phone and cell-phone charger.
Consequences of No or Poor Disaster Planning
Without a disaster plan, the employees of a hospital would not know what to do in an emergency situation. As a result, patient care could be negatively affected. Some consequences of not having a disaster plan include: an increased risk of harm to patients and employees. a decline in treatment to existing patients. an inability to handle incoming patients. a lack of staff cooperation. Having a disaster plan is critical for every healthcare facility.
Chemical Disasters
A chemical disaster is an event characterized by the release of a toxic chemical into the environment. Unintended or illegal releases of chemicals into the air, water, or ground can constitute a chemical disaster. Chemical manufacturers, mines, hazardous waste sites, and even hospitals can be sources of chemical disasters. Chemicals can be explosive, poisonous, flammable, or radioactive. When a chemical spill occurs, it is important to isolate the spill and keep people who have not yet contacted the chemical safe. This includes both workers and patients. Healthcare workers managing a chemical disaster in the field or hospital may wear body suits and ventilators to avoid ingesting, inhaling, or contacting the chemical. Healthcare workers managing a chemical spill in the hospital setting may need to evacuate people from the area. Trained workers will need to contain the spill and clean it up. If the spill occurs outside of the hospital, healthcare workers will need to prepare for a large influx of new patients affected by the spill.
Benefits of a Disaster Plan
A disaster plan is a blueprint for how an organization operates during an unforeseen emergency. For healthcare facilities, the disaster plan is beneficial for the health and safety of existing patients and new patients. Having a disaster plan prepares staff for how to handle emergency situations. Some benefits include: little to no interruption of patient care. roles and tasks already assigned to staff. adequate amounts of available supplies. The healthcare facility operates under the disaster plan until the emergency situation is resolved. Then the hospital transitions back into normal operating procedures. The overall purpose of a disaster plan is to continue to offer the best medical care to all patients throughout the duration of an emergency.
The Disaster Plan
A disaster plan outlines the process for responding to situations that occur during a disaster. Many organizations and institutions such as hospitals, small businesses, government offices, and schools have disaster plans. Information in a typical disaster plan includes: roles and responsibilities of staff. emergency escape routes. strategies to keep staff and patients safe. schedule of training activities. communication systems. All hospitals must have a disaster plan. Small businesses, large businesses, and individual homeowners should also have disaster plans. Advanced planning can reduce losses of life and property during a disaster. The roles and responsibilities of staff must be included in a disaster plan. Someone is designated to contact additional employees to come to the facility, while another person is designated to communicate with emergency services, and so on.
Loss of Power and Utilities
A disaster plan will also have protocol for handling a loss of power to the hospital. Much critical life-support equipment depends on a reliable source of power. A power outage can have a devastating impact on a medical facility. All patients relying on life-support equipment can perish if an alternative source of power is not available. For this reason, hospitals have backup power generators that supply electricity to the hospital in the case of a power outage. These generators may provide only a fraction of the power that the hospital typically receives. As a result, the disaster plan should prioritize which systems receive power and which do not. For example, the cooling system might be shut down in certain areas of the hospital where maintaining room temperature is not critical to life-saving functions. If the hospital cannot manage its power supply, it may need a plan for evacuating critical patients to other facilities that can provide life-support services.
Mass Casualties
A mass casualty disaster is an event that involves large numbers of victims. Mass casualties can be caused by natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or accidents such as train or airplane crashes. A hospital must prepare for identifying and treating traumatic injuries in the aftermath of a mass casualty disaster. First responders must initially determine which of the victims demands the most immediate care. This is a process known as triage. Victims who are most at risk of dying are sent to the hospital first, followed by those with more minor injuries. In order to be ready for a mass casualty event, hospitals must have supplies in stock and surgeons on call to treat patients at the hospital. Maintaining efficient and open lines of communications is a critical aspect of handling a mass casualty event. Hospital departments need to communicate with each other regarding patient care. Police and fire departments need to communicate with a contact person at the hospital. Also, hospitals need to have staff prepared to speak with the press and families of those affected.
Enacting the Disaster Plan
An emergency management group is a team of people who are in charge of operations during an emergency. These individuals are defined in the disaster plan. In the healthcare setting, the director of the healthcare facility is usually in charge of the team. Emergency management groups are also defined in businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. Within the team, there is a clear chain of command with defined duties. Some will be in charge of technical operations, while others will be in charge of management and communication. One person acts as incident commander. The incident commander (IC) is responsible for taking charge of the situation and putting the disaster plan into motion. The IC makes sure that each component of the disaster plan is implemented and outside agencies are involved, if necessary. An IC might be a physician or other staff member trained in emergency management. In small businesses that are not healthcare related, the IC might be an office manager or other employee with some first-aid training and excellent management skills.
Infectious Outbreaks
An infectious outbreak is a situation involving the rapid spread of a contagious disease. Examples include influenza and E. coli (a type of bacterium). Contagious diseases are spread in specific ways. In order to protect healthy individuals from contracting the disease, it is important to understand the source of the outbreak. Healthcare workers treating patients sick with influenza should wear masks and gloves, as the disease is spread through airborne droplets. In order to reduce the risk of spreading the disease, influenza patients should not be placed in rooms with patients who do not have influenza. E. coli is a bacterium that can contaminate foods. Informing the public of a contaminated food source is one of the best ways of controlling an outbreak since eating these foods is how E. coli spreads. Once an outbreak is identified, it is the responsibility of public health officials and healthcare facilities to contain the outbreak so more people do not get sick.
Planning for Disasters
Disaster planning is a process that takes place before a disaster occurs so that healthcare and emergency operations can be prepared to respond in an emergency. Healthcare professionals can prepare for specific types of disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and disease outbreaks. Emergency personnel, businesses, and individuals need to be prepared for any unexpected disastrous event. Citizens at home can also be prepared for disasters. Government organizations, like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), have developed programs to help people prepare. FEMA's website, ready.gov, is a source of information on emergency preparedness that is accessible to everyone
Disaster Plan Components
Disaster plans very widely among different types of businesses, organizations, and healthcare facilities. Parts of a typical disaster plan include the following: Communications - how the hospital will communicate internally and with agencies outside the hospital, and who is responsible for communications Supplies - how much and what emergency supplies are kept available Security - how staff and hospital property will be kept safe, including protecting patients from infectious diseases Utilities - having the capacity to sustain operations for at least ninety-six hours with loss of outside power Clinical activity - maintaining a high level of care for new and existing patients A comprehensive disaster plan helps a hospital provide services during a disaster, and it helps the hospital return to normal functions once the disaster is over
Responding to Disasters
Every disaster is unique, and many are unpredictable. However, understanding different types of disasters allows healthcare workers and others to be ready to respond. Categories of disasters include the following: Natural disasters Chemical disasters Infectious outbreaks Mass casualties Loss of power or utilities Each type of disaster requires different response strategies. Disasters within a hospital require evacuating people, whereas disasters outside of a hospital require taking many people in. Some disasters pose serious threats to healthcare staff. Chemical spills and disease outbreaks require certain procedures to prevent the spread of infection or chemical contamination.
Preparing for Disasters
Healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and paramedics, need to be prepared in the case of an emergency. In addition to the skills and knowledge they possess, healthcare workers must have access to medical supplies during an emergency. Healthcare workers and ordinary citizens can purchase or make their own emergency kits to use in disaster scenarios. These kits are useful to have on hand in case it is impossible to get immediate access to advanced medical care.
Developing the Disaster Plan
In the healthcare setting, a disaster plan is written by hospital administrators, risk managers, and a team of healthcare staff. The first step in developing a disaster plan is to identify risks. For example, a hospital located in a coastal state that is prone to hurricanes will have a plan for dealing with hurricane-related damages and injuries. Hospitals must also plan for unpredictable mass-casualty incidents and hazardous material exposure. Staff must be trained on emergency procedures and know what their roles are in the event of an emergency. The hospital does not play the only role in providing help to citizens during a disaster. In developing the disaster plan, the hospital must describe how it will coordinate its efforts with local police and fire departments. Resources, such as personnel and emergency equipment, can be shared among these agencies to provide faster and better care to members of the affected community
Natural Disasters
Natural disasters are events caused by the earth and weather that have devastating impacts. Natural disasters include the following: Floods Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Landslides Volcanoes Wildfires Winter storms While some events like hurricanes can be predicted, others cannot. Hospitals must have evacuation and patient safety plans in the event that a natural disaster damages or destroys the hospital. Disaster plans should include details for how to manage each type of natural disaster that is possible in the local area. Hospitals should also be prepared to take patients from nearby locations if local hospitals cannot meet the demand.
Responder Emergency Kit Contents
Trained healthcare workers and emergency first responders should have access to a comprehensive emergency kit. Contents of the kit may include: personal protective equipment such as gloves and masks. pain medication. bandages, gauze, and tape. a blanket. antiseptic or alcohol wipes. a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. Specialized equipment may be included in emergency kits that are related to local hazards. For example, a medic working on a ship might have a flotation device, thermometer, and heat packs inside of his kit.
Dealing With an Influx of New Patients
When a disaster strikes, hospitals must be prepared to admit many new patients all at once while still managing the care of existing patients. Hospitals must have a plan to bring in additional staff in case of emergency. Some staff members must be in charge of directing the flow of patients and managing staff, patients, and family members in a chaotic environment. An incident command system (ICS) is a plan that outlines who is in charge of various components of an emergency plan. This may include workers inside the hospital, local police and fire departments, emergency services, and other organizations. Local, state, and federal agencies are included in the emergency plan for large-scale emergencies. Also, the hospital must have enough supplies available to treat a mass influx of patients. They must find enough space to treat patients as well. In major disasters, other large buildings such as stadiums or schools may be used to supplement the limited space of a local hospital.
Emergency Kits
An emergency kit is a package of supplies that medical professionals, first responders, and ordinary citizens may need to provide medical care during an emergency. Emergency kits contain typical first-aid supplies and some materials that may be useful in the event of a disaster, such as a flashlight and nonperishable food. Emergency kits can be small or large, and they can contain specialized equipment for certain types of disasters.
